Radio/Internet: 6 p.m. Saturday; WLS-AM 890, ESPN3.com. Records: Brown 3-4, Notre Dame 7-1 Brian Hamilton 's quick look: The Irish haven't played since thumping Kentucky on Nov. 29, and there's another week off following this tilt. Mike Brey can get a look at his rotation and see if Zach Auguste can be a steady No. 8 option. Senior Matt Sullivan of Wilmette leads Brown with 15.7 ppg.

Notre Dame wasn't about to lose another physical game. Chris Thomas scored 22 points, Matt Carroll had 19 points and eight rebounds and the fifth-ranked Irish put together a workmanlike effort to beat Seton Hall 74-64 Sunday, six days after their worst loss under coach Mike Brey. "We moved on," Carroll said. "We knew what had to do." The Irish (13-2, 1-1 Big East) were outmuscled by No. 6 Pittsburgh, against the Pirates (5-7, 0-3), the Irish held their own. More importantly, the Irish drove to the basket continuously and forced fouls.

Rick Cornett, a 6-foot-7-inch forward who led his high school team to the Illinois Christian school championship, has verbally committed to Notre Dame. Cornett said he made the decision early Saturday and tried to call Irish basketball coach Mike Brey at home about 12:30 a.m. Brey slept through the call, but Cornett then called assistant coach Anthony Solomon. "I had to tell someone," said Cornett, who averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds for Homewood Christian Academy in the south suburb.

The bad news for Notre Dame's basketball team is that forward Luke Harangody has pneumonia. The good news is that the recovery timetable is promising. Harangody will miss the No. 8 Irish's next two games but has a chance to return for a Saturday against Ohio State at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, according to coach Mike Brey. Regardless, Brey should have the reigning Big East player of the year back for a Dec. 13 game against Boston University. Doctors diagnosed the pneumonia early enough to foster a relatively quick recovery.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey denied Internet reports that he was a candidate for the opening at North Carolina State. In recent days, rumors had surfaced that Brey, a former Duke assistant, was a candidate for the Wolfpack coaching vacancy that has been open since Herb Sendek left April 1 for Arizona State. "While I am not one to react to Internet rumors, I want to make it clear that I did not interview for the North Carolina State job and I am not a candidate for the North Carolina State job," Brey said in a statement.

Before Iowa's schedule was finalized, coach Fran McCaffery had not even thought his team's potential ACC-Big Ten matchup this season could come against Notre Dame. "I wasn't even thinking of that because they just joined the league. And then I thought, 'Wow, this would be great.' " When the pairings were announced, McCaffery got his wish. The Irish and Hawkeyes will square off Dec. 3 at Carver Hawkeye Arena. His ties to the school run deep. He was an assistant from 1988-99. He helped recruit Notre Dame assistant Martin Ingelsby and coordinator of basketball operations Harold Swanagan to play for the Irish.

To emphasize how long he has been around, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey points out he has been through two athletic directors and four football coaches as he begins his eighth year in South Bend. Other than Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, Brey has been around the Big East the longest. Tenure is paying off at Notre Dame -- with its coach and players. The Irish lost only one senior, Rob Kurz, and return four starters, including preseason and defending player of the year Luke Harangody.